Recent sightings from 27 September to 04 October 2020
It was a wet week! Four out of the seven days could well and truly be classed as wash-outs but in between there was the one or the other period of calmer and even sunnier weather. The week started rather promising sightings-wise when not only kingfisher, goldcrest, stonechat and green woodpecker were seen on Monday but also a nuthatch and a spotted flycatcher – both very rare sightings at the wetlands. Tuesday should turn out equally exciting when two of our most sought-after reedbed species were recorded. At least two female and one male bearded reedling were spotted and a bittern was flying over the reeds as well; the first sighting of this elusive species for quite a while. Thursday brought an early fieldfare, a hungry hobby and bearded reedlings were once again heard. Highlights on a rainy Friday were a peregrine flying over the visitor centre, a big mixed flock of goldfinches and linnets on the foreshore which added up to around 100 individuals and a curious wheatear.
Photo credit: Wheatear by Jeremy White
Along the coast were the usual suspects with lots of shelducks and a good number of curlews which were joined this week by some oystercatchers and several redshanks. Little egrets were also a common sight. Ravens and jay were seen regularly, a sparrowhawk was active on Thursday and two marsh harriers were recorded on Wednesday. Swallows and house martins were still seen flying over heading towards warmer climates. Loud squealing from the reedbeds was a clear sign that the water rails started to return in bigger numbers. Whilst some wigeons could be seen in the Severn Estuary at high tide, gadwall, teal and shoveler joined moorhen, coot and little grebe on the lagoons. Cormorants remained a regular sight as well, drying themselves on the pylons whenever there was a rain-free spell.
Photo credit: Cormorant by Stefan Zitzmann
In these conditions sightings of bumblebees were few and far in between but there was still a decent number of dragonflies around which made the most out of the scarce sunny moments during this week. Especially migrant hawker, emperor and common darter could still be seen showing their aerial acrobatics. Tuesday turned out to be a rather exciting day for butterflies when no less than eight different species were recorded. Small and large white, common blue, speckled wood, red admiral and small copper were joined by the migratory species clouded yellow and painted lady. A pristine looking painted lady posed nicely just next to our welcome marquee.
Photo credit: Painted lady by Stefan Zitzmann
Other highlights of this week included sightings of stoats and weasels and on Thursday a small grass snake was spotted as well. Another surprise came in the form of a pipistrelle bat which went for an early fly around during the afternoon on Tuesday.
Some of the facilities are open now, including the toilets, shop and the café with a restricted menu (the playground will remain closed for the time being). Please follow the government guidelines regarding social distancing and face masks which have to be worn inside the visitor centre. Please be also aware that local lockdown restrictions still apply to Newport and check the Welsh government guidelines on travelling before your visit. We are open daily from 9am to 5pm (café and shop from 10am to 4pm). Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates.
Bearded reedling, Bittern, Blackbird, Black-headed gull, Blue tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Canada goose, Carrion crow, Cetti’s warbler, Chiffchaff, Coot, Cormorant, Curlew, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Gadwall, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Sparrowhawk, Great spotted woodpecker, Great tit, Green woodpecker, Grey heron, Herring gull, Hobby, House martin, Jay, Kingfisher, Lesser black-backed gull, Linnet, Little egret, Little grebe, Long-tailed tit, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh harrier, Moorhen, Mute swan, Nuthatch, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pheasant, Raven, Redshank, Reed bunting, Robin, Shelduck, Shoveler, Song thrush, Spotted flycatcher, Stonechat, Swallow, Teal, Water rail, Wheatear, Wigeon, Willow warbler, Woodpigeon and Wren.
Please note that we take our recent sightings list from the visitor sightings board that anyone can contribute to. This is great as everyone can get involved, but obviously can lead to potential errors too as they aren’t always verified! We try to keep this list as accurate as possible but if you see something unusual feel free to comment here!